


Rooted in the Heart

by FullmetalandtheFlame



Category: Chasing Liberty (2004)
Genre: Drama, F/M, Fluff, Get Together, Motorcycle ride, Post-Canon, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2019-10-29 13:04:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17808488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FullmetalandtheFlame/pseuds/FullmetalandtheFlame
Summary: Takes place immediately after the end of Chasing Liberty. Anna and Ben have been reunited and are about to embark on their latest adventure - building their relationship.A continuation of their love story because there are almost no Chasing Liberty fanfics and they are never going to release a sequel so I decided to write one myself.





	1. Flutter

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic. I recently became a big fan of Matthew Goode because he's an incredible and underrated actor, and he's absolutely GORGEOUS. Because of this, I've been watching absolutely everything he has ever been in and I came across this gem of a movie. I fell in love with it but was disappointed to find only a couple of fanfics for it so I decided to write one myself.  
> I don't know how many chapters there are going to be in total but I'll try to post chapter 2 soon.  
> Advice is always welcome. I'd love to hear your thoughts and honest opinions. Also, let me know if you have any suggestions or if there's anything you'd like to see in later chapters. I'm always open to hearing what you have to say.  
> Enjoy!

The wind whips by as Ben and Anna drive away from the Opera house. Her hair, which has grown since the last time they saw each other, flies wildly behind her as they ride through the London streets.

Having reunited just minutes earlier after months of agonizing separation, Anna can’t help but smile at the proximity between her and Ben. She’s sitting on the back of his bike, arms wrapped around Ben’s wait and chest pressed against his back. After meeting in Prague, they’d spent the next several days together, with him as a constant companion, always by her side. When she found out that he was actually a secret service agent assigned by her father, the President of the United States, to look after her, she had felt so angry and betrayed that she left him behind in Berlin without saying a proper goodbye. But even though she’d only known him for a short time, his absence had left a giant hole in her life that nothing seemed to fill. Ben Calder, this gorgeous, charming, protective, sarcastic man had taken root in her heart and there was no way of removing him without causing damage. The following months had been hollow and lonely, as if a piece of her was missing. So, when her father had told her that Ben had quit the secret service and was living in London, she knew she had to take the leap. She transferred to Oxford for the semester, making the ‘big gesture’ that Ben’s father never made. 

Almost immediately after arriving in London, Anna had found out from her father where Ben was working as a photographer and surprised him at the Opera house. Upon seeing him, the hole left in Anna’s heart caused by Ben’s absence instantly began to mend, and when they kissed, any doubts about his feelings for her were quickly washed away. 

Recalling that perfect, lingering kiss, Anna smiles wider and tucks her face into the warm crook of Ben’s neck. Closing her eyes, she breathes deeply, inhaling his scent mixed with the spicy but understated cologne that she recognizes from the night they spent together in the sleeping bag under the stars in Austria. 

A vehicle comes around the corner behind them and Anna sighs as she recognizes the familiar black SUV following them closely. She had become accustomed to Weiss and his new partner following her every move, but their presence could still be an annoyance during these otherwise perfect moments. 

Suddenly, Anna grins. She leans forward towards Ben’s ear and shouts above the noise of the traffic, “You wanna lose them?”

Ben’s lips turn into his charming, uneven smile, one corner of his mouth rising higher than the other in a look of amusement. “You know,” he replies, “I don’t exactly relish the thought of getting on your father’s bad side.”

“Oh c’mon!” Anna says. “Live a little!” She feels him chuckle against her chest as he shakes his head slightly.

“Hang on tight,” he calls back to her before turning sharply into a narrow alley that’s not quite wide enough for Weiss’ large SUV to fit through. 

Ben inwardly grins as he feels Anna’s arms wrap further around him, gripping him more firmly as she leans closer into his back. 

Unlike in Prague, where Ben only had a rough idea of the layout of the city, he knew London intimately. He was familiar with every side street, one-way road, and back alley. After making a few more turns, he slows to a stop in a quiet, narrow alleyway, waiting to be certain that they had lost their pursuers. “Looks like we gave them the slip,” he says after a few moments, when Weiss doesn’t show. 

Anna jumps off the bike laughing. Raising both hands in the air in a sign of victory, she lets out a loud “Whoooooo!” of excitement. “That was awesome!” 

Ben rolls his eyes as he climbs off the bike but can’t help the grin that crosses his face. Her excitement is infectious. 

“Weiss is probably calling DC right now to warn my dad that we’re running off to Venice or Berlin again,” Anna says.

Ben leans against the parked bike and smiles, remembering how they’d accidentally boarded a train going to Venice while trying to get to Berlin for the Love Parade. “Well as much as I enjoyed that, I think we better stay in the country this time. I don’t want your father thinking he can’t trust me with you and banning you from ever seeing me again,” he jokes. 

“Oh, don’t worry,” Anna says, taking a step closer. “There’s no way he could keep me away.”

Ben chuckles. “I don’t doubt that.”

There’s a pause as they stand there, looking into each other’s eyes. Anna bites her lip as she feels a slight flutter in her stomach. “So,” she says suddenly, breaking the silence. “This is where you grew up, right?”

Ben nods. “Yeah, after moving here from Wales with my mother. Spent most of my life here, really. Even after I joined the secret service it’s still the only place that ever really felt like home.” He pauses, looking around at the buildings surrounding them, as if recalling the years he spent here. After a moment, he looks back at Anna and asks, “What about you? Have you ever been to London before?”

Anna shrugs. “Oh you know,” she says with a sigh. “I’ve been here with my parents but with my dad it’s always been this dreary series of brunches and chocolate mint on my silk pillow at these 5-star hotels.” They laugh, remembering his sarcastic comment about her “numbing” privileged life on the night they met. “I’ve never gotten to actually experience London. There was never time to actually have any fun, and even if there was, the massive security team he always insists on sort of takes away from the whole, genuine experience, you know?”

Ben is quiet for a moment as he seems to consider something, then he smiles. “Well in that case, c’mon,” he says, climbing back onto the bike and patting the seat behind him.

“Where?”

“To experience London.”

Anna grins and quickly jumps onto the bike behind Ben, wrapping her arms around his waist again. She feels the flutter in her stomach return as she places her hands on his firm abdomen and her eyes close momentarily, enjoying the feeling. She opens her eyes again at the sound of Ben revving the engine and a moment later they take off, turning back onto the busy late-afternoon London streets.


	2. Beautiful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben takes Anna on a tour to a few famous London landmarks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 2! This one is quite a bit longer than the first one. I really enjoyed writing it so I hope you enjoy it.

They wind through the London streets, taking a combination of crowded main roads and quiet side streets. Anna has no idea where they’re going but Ben clearly knows London like the back of his hand, so she relaxes against his back and enjoys the ride. They fly by a beautiful park with a large pond in its center and moments later a massive white building looms before them. 

Ben slows to a stop on the side of a street just outside the large open area in front of the Buckingham Palace gates and climbs off the bike. “First stop on your private tour, Buckingham Palace,” he says, offering her his hand. 

“Wow… it’s really beautiful,” Anna says. She takes his hand and he helps her off the bike. She smiles when he doesn’t let go after she’s climbed off and they stand side by side for a moment, gazing up at the majestic building. “It’s so much bigger when you see it person,” she comments. After a minute she pulls him forward, heading into the public circle in front of the palace gates which is crowded with tourists.

Ben points to the giant white statue in the center of the circle. “That’s the Queen Victoria Memorial. It was constructed shortly after she died in 1901,” he says.

They walk up the stone steps to the memorial and circle slowly around it. “There’s Queen Victoria herself on the throne,” he says, nodding towards the statue of the Queen on the side of the memorial.

Anna frowns and looks up at the golden winged figure at the top. “So who’s that up there?”

“It’s an angel that symbolizes victory,” he informs her. “And then down here you have the angels of truth and justice on either side of the Queen.” Ben points to each of the statues as he talks about them. “And if you walk around to the other side there’s a statue that represents motherhood. Apparently, every statue is supposed to represent a different quality of the Queen.”

Anna raises her eyebrows and laughs. “Well aren’t you a fountain of knowledge!”

He chuckles and explains, “I had to do a project on it in primary school. For some reason I still remember most of it.”

They climb back down the stairs and Ben pulls out his camera. “Anna,” he calls, and when she sees him with his camera she smiles broadly as he snaps a picture. 

They continue walking and Anna admires the perfectly manicured gardens which are all fenced in to prevent people from walking through them. After a moment she looks back at the palace and asks, “Do you think they’re home?”

Ben raises an eyebrow at her before replying, “You know, funny enough the royal family doesn’t feel it necessary to inform me of their every move.”

Anna shoves him gently in mock exasperation. “Well okay, Mister secret service man. I just thought you might know these things.”

“You do know I’m not secret service anymore?”

Anna nods. “Yes, I know. My dad told me.” Then, mimicking his tone of voice, she asks, “You do know he’s the President of the United States?” 

Ben laughs. “Oh, right.”

A few minutes later they walk back to his bike. As they climb on, Ben says, “Sorry we can’t go in but I’m sure your dad could manage to get you in sometime if you wanted. I hear he’s well connected.”

. . .

Next, they stop at Big Ben and Anna once again marvels at how much bigger it is in person. She’d seen it from a distance the last time she’d been to London, but they hadn’t stayed in the city for long and they had been too busy, so she never had the chance to see it up close. 

Ben pulls out his camera again and asks a passerby to take their picture. He wraps his arm around her shoulder and her body tingles pleasantly at his touch. Anna is disappointed when Ben’s arm drops off her shoulder as he goes to retrieves his camera after the picture has been taken. 

Leaving the bike parked, Anna and Ben walk over one of the many bridges crossing the Thames, making their way towards the London Eye which is the famous massive observation wheel that, like Big Ben, Anna had only over seen from a distance. Anna stops halfway across the bridge and leans against the railing. She looks out at the city before her, taking in the sights of smells of London. Walking up and standing beside her, Ben looks over the railing down at the water and smiles, fondly remembering the time they bungee jumped together.

“This is such a great view,” Anna says after a minute, gazing out over the water at the skyline.

“I suppose,” Ben says, casually. “But I bet it would look a lot better from up there.” He points up to the top of the London Eye which towers above them. Anna’s mouth drops open. “You said you wanted to experience London. That thing isn’t just there for looks you know,” he tells her, clearly amused at her reaction.

Anna giggles excitedly and grabs Ben’s hand, pulling him towards to ticket booth. He chuckles under his breath and hurries to keep pace with her. 

At the ticket booth, Anna protests when she sees Ben about to pay for her ticket. “No, no, no,” she says, stepping up to the counter and unzipping her purse to retrieve her wallet. “You wouldn’t be going on it if it wasn’t for me. I’m paying.”

“Anna,” Ben says, placing his hands gently over her unzipped purse to stop her from pulling out her wallet. “I invited you. It was my idea.” He hands the cashier the money then looks back at her with a smirk. “Besides, it’s the least I can do. Private tours don’t come cheap. Plus there’s all the petrol money you’re gonna owe me from driving you around all day. Trust me, I’m coming out on top.”

Anna’s mouth drops open in mock disbelief and she gives another playful shove. 

. . .

The sun is setting on the horizon as they stand in one of the large glass pods of the London Eye. The sky, which had been cloudy and grey earlier in the day, had recently cleared and is now a beautiful mix of orange, blue, and pink as the fading sun’s rays streak across the sky. Anna is standing, hands pressed against the glass, staring out at the picturesque view. Ben smiles at the sight and pulls out his camera, taking a photo without her noticing.

Growing up in London, he’d become accustomed to the city. After so many years, he barely notices the numerous beautiful, ancient buildings that line the streets or the famous landmarks that dot the London skyline. Being here with Anna though, he sees the city that has been his home for so many years with fresh eyes. Anna’s awe and excitement are infectious and over the course of the day he’d found himself enjoying the sights of the city more than he ever thought he could after so many years. 

Ben watches her with a soft smile on his lips for few more minutes before walking up to join her by the glass. “So, what do you think?” He asks. “Is the view better from up here?”

“Way better! And look at that sunset. Isn’t it beautiful?” Anna turns her head toward him causing a long lock of hair to fall on her face. She gives him a dazzling wide smile and the setting sun reflects off her eyes so that they seem to sparkle. 

In that moment, Ben is sure he’s never seen anything more beautiful in his life. He nods. “Very beautiful.”

Anna seems to notice something in the way he’s looking at her because her breath catches in her throat as she stares back into his eyes. Then Ben reaches up with his hand and slowly tucks the lock of hair that had fallen on her face behind her ear before gently cupping her cheek in his hand. He eyes her lips and brings his mouth slowly down towards hers, his eyes sliding closed just as her lips meet his halfway. 

The kiss is soft and unrushed, their lips moving slowly against each other’s, lingering in the quiet moment. Anna reaches her hands up and she places them against the back of his neck, the tips of her fingers brushing through his silky short hair. When their lips part, Anna rests her forehead against his for a moment, their noses brushing against each other. His warm breath pleasantly tickles her skin. Finally, their hands drop back down to their sides and they take a small step back. They smile at each other before turning to look back out the window. 

Ben wraps his arm around Anna’s back, resting his hand against her waist. The tingling sensation that Anna felt earlier with his arm around her shoulders returns, the pleasant feeling especially prominent on her waist where his large, warm hand rests. They savor the moment, remaining in that position for the remainder of the ride.

. . .

The sky is almost dark when they step back onto the street. As they walk back to the bike, Ben checks his watch and says, “It’s getting pretty late. I should probably get you home.”

“Oh, come on!” Anna pleads. “The night is young. Live a little!”

Ben laughs but shakes his head. “Sorry, Anna. But I’ve got to work in the morning. I’ve got a contract with the opera house and I’ll have to make up for ditching them earlier. Anyway, Weiss will probably have a heart attack if he doesn’t find you soon.”

Anna sighs but nods her head in agreement. She knows that Weiss would be keeping her father informed if she disappeared and although he had been better about giving her a little more freedom, she really didn’t want to get an earful about not being responsible enough to live so far away from home. “I’ll call Weiss,” she agrees. 

“Here.” Ben reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. He holds it out and offers it to her, but she waves it off before reaching into her purse and fishing out her own phone. 

Ben raises his eyebrows in surprise. “I didn’t know you had a mobile phone,” he says.

“Yeah, it’s new. My parents gave it to me as a going away present before I left. Honestly I think it was only so that I wouldn’t have an excuse not to call them. Well, that and so they could check on me if I ran away with another secret service agent who’s dumb enough to jump into the Danube with their phone still in their pocket.”

“Woah, okay, hang on,” Ben protests. “For the last time, that was not the Danube. And I only went in because some famous crazy girl decided to swim naked in the Vltava and if pictures of that had gotten out, her father would have killed me.”

They reach the bike and Ben hands her a helmet. As she buckles it up, she says, “Are you sure it wasn’t the Danube?”

“Positive,” he replies. 

She shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. It was fun, either way.”

Ben rolls his eyes and puts on his own helmet. “You sure you don’t want to swim naked in the Thames while we’re here?”

Anna shrugs. “That would be a great way to experience the real London, but there’s plenty of time for that. I’m here for the whole semester after all. Maybe we can do that next week.”

“We? Oh no,” Ben says. “Don’t rope me into this. If or when you decide to this, feel free to leave me out of it.”

“Suit yourself, but you’ll be missing out.”

He laughs quietly to himself while Anna calls Weiss to let him know she’s on her way back to her apartment. After ending the call, she climbs onto the bike behind Ben, wrapping her arms around his waist once more. She tells him the address for her new apartment and moments later they’re flying through the London streets toward her new home. 

When they arrive at her address, Ben pulls over and parks on the side of the road. Unbuckling his helmet, he looks up and surveys the modern glass apartment building towering above them. Anna notices him studying it and sighs. It wouldn’t have been her first choice of residences, but her dad had picked it and since he was the one paying for it, she didn’t have much of a choice. 

As Anna takes off her helmet and hands it back to Ben, she notices the familiar black SUV pull up across the street. Weiss and his new partner step out and stand beside the vehicle, watching them. Ben spots them too and he grins at the looks of exasperation on both of their faces. He waves cheerfully at them and Anna bursts out laughing. Ben laughs with her and says, “Well, don’t they look cheerful this evening?”

When their laughter dies down, Ben nods his head toward the door of Anna’s building. “C’mon,” he says. “I’ll walk you up.”

Anna’s apartment is on the fifth floor. When they reach her door, she stops and turns around to face him. She can feel butterflies in her stomach as she surveys him standing a couple feet away, hands in his pockets.

“Well,” she says finally. “This is me.” She waves her hand awkwardly to indicate the door behind her. 

Ben just nods and stands there uncertainly for a moment, rocking slowly back on his heels. Anna smiles and shakes her head at their slight awkwardness. Pushing that aside, she steps confidently toward him and says, “Thank you, Ben.” 

He frowns, looking confused, and says, “For what?”

“For today. For showing me around and everything. And mostly for helping me ditch Weiss.”

“Hey, no need to thank me,” Ben says with a shrug. “I’ll be giving you the bill for the tour and petrol tomorrow.”

Anna laughs and some hair falls into her face. She pushes her hair back behind her ear and says, “Tomorrow, huh? So, does that mean I’ll be seeing you tomorrow?”

Ben grins widely and says in his gorgeous deep English voice, “Definitely.” Then he leans in and kisses her deeply, his arms wrapping around her back and pulling her body against his. She passionately kisses him back, one arm wrapping around his neck and the other wrapping around his back, reveling in the taste of his soft, sweet lips and the feeling of his body pressed against hers. 

Her phone starts ringing in her purse, but they ignore it as the kiss quickly become more passionate. Ben’s tongue presses gently against her mouth. She parts her lips allowing him to slip into her mouth, his tongue caressing hers. When the ringing in her purse stops, Anna pulls Ben slowly backwards toward her door without breaking the contact between their lips. Just before they reach it though, the ringing starts up again. They slowly break the kiss and Anna lets out an exasperated noise that’s a mix between a sigh and growl. 

“That’s gotta be my dad,” she says, mild frustration evident in her voice. “Not many people have my number yet.”

“You think he’ll let it go if you don’t answer?” Ben asks, eyeing her purse where the annoyingly persistent noise is coming from. 

Anna shakes her head. “Nope,” she says with a sigh. The ringing stops and a few seconds later, Ben’s phone starts ringing. Ben raises his eyebrows at her, and Anna closes her eyes in embarrassment. The arm that had been wrapped around his neck releases him and she covers her face with her hand. 

Ben chuckles. “I guess I should have changed my number after I left the secret service.”

Anna groans and says, “He’s just going to keep calling, and if one of us doesn’t answer Weiss will be up here in a minute checking to see why I’m not answering my phone.”

Bens arms slowly release her, dropping back to his sides. Anna misses the contact of his body immediately. “Tell you what,” he says, taking a step back. “You talk to your parents before an army of secret service agents come rushing up here to investigate. I’d rather not have your dad thinking we’ve run off and left the country again. And how about I take you to dinner tomorrow? Seven o’clock work for you?”

Anna is disappointed that he’s leaving but her disappointment is lessened by the prospect of having a romantic dinner with him tomorrow. It’s lessened even further when she thinks about what a romantic dinner could lead to that night. She nods. “Sounds good. I’ll be here.”

“Great. See you then.” Ben’s phone finally stops ringing. He takes a step forward and places a quick but soft kiss on her lips in farewell. Then he takes a few steps backwards, keeping his eyes fixed on hers, before turning and heading down the stairs just as Anna’s phone goes off for the third time. Anna can’t help but smile even as she reaches into her purse to pull out the annoying little device.

That night, Anna can still taste Ben’s sweet lips on hers as she lies in bed thinking of him before falling asleep.


	3. Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anna and Ben go on their first official date but things don't go exactly as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 3! Sorry this one took a bit longer to upload. I had a bit of a harder time writing it but I still really enjoyed doing it. Hope you enjoy!

Anna stands in front of her mirror and examines the floor-length red dress she’s just put on. It’s the fourth outfit she’s tried and she’s no closer to a decision. Ben hadn’t told her where he is taking her, and she can’t decide how fancy she should be. The outfits had ranged from the fanciest dress she owned, to completely casual with jeans and a t-shirt, much like what she’d worn to the Love Parade. She wanted to look good, but she also didn’t want to overdo it. Looking at the dress one more time, she decides it’s too dressy and takes it off. Anna scans her closet again, searching for the perfect outfit. Her eyes settle on a simple knee-length black dress and she pulls it down off its hanger. She holds it up against her body and examines herself in the mirror. It’s dressy but not too dressy, and since she doesn’t know where they’re going, it strikes the perfect balance between fancy and casual.

Her outfit finally decided, Anna puts on the dress and glances at the clock. It’s 6:45. Ben will be there in 15 minutes and she hasn’t finished her makeup. Rushing to the bathroom, she begins to quickly apply her favorite dark eyeliner.

She’s just finishing putting on her lipstick when there’s a knock at the door. She quickly applies the finishing touches to her lips and checks her reflection in the mirror one last time. Satisfied, she exits the bathroom and goes to answer the door. She opens it to find Ben standing on the other side, looking gorgeous as usual. He’s wearing a white dress shirt and black suit jacket with no tie and navy-blue jeans. She’s pleased to find that he strikes the perfect balance between dressy and casual much like her.

“Hi!” Anna says, grinning.

“Hey!” Anna notices Ben’s eyes wander down momentarily, his gaze leaving a hot tingling sensation down her body, before quickly looking back up to meet her eyes. “Wow, you look beautiful.”

“Thank you. You look rather pretty yourself.” Anna says gazing at his beautiful, dark eyelashes. Ben raises he eyebrows and smirks in a look of amused surprise, just as he did on the night she first met him when she asked what he was doing in Prague ‘all by his eyelashes’. But really, Anna thought, could he blame her? After all, his eyelashes were simply stunning. Definitely the best eyelashes she’d ever seen on a man, or most women for that matter.

Suddenly, she realizes that she’d called him ‘pretty’ out loud and that, as a man, he might not appreciate that term. She hastens to correct herself, saying, “Handsome, I mean. You look very handsome. Dashing, even. You clean up very well.” Worried that he might think she was implying that he didn’t look good before, she hurries to assure him, “Not that you didn’t look good before! ‘Cause you did! It’s just that you also look really good now, too.” The room suddenly seems very hot and, feeling flustered, Anna decides she should probably just shut up before this conversation becomes even more awkward.

Ben smirks, amused at her verbal fumbling. “Well, thanks. I think. Anyway,” he says, quickly changing topic, “these are for you.” He pulls out a bouquet of red and white flowers from behind his back and presents them to her.

“Oh, wow! Ben, they’re beautiful!” She takes them from his outstretched hand and brings them up to her nose, her eyes closing in delight at their pleasant but subtle scent. “Thank you. I love them.” Turning around to walk toward her kitchen, she says, “I’m just gonna stick these in water before we go.”

In the kitchen, Anna opens cupboard after cupboard, searching unsuccessfully for a vase. Finally, she settles on a large glass pitcher. She fills it with water and puts the flowers in, then sets it down in the center of a round wooden table in the main room.

She returns to the door where Ben is waiting for her. “Ready?” He asks.

She nods. “Let’s go.”  
. . .  
Ben takes her to a nice-looking Italian restaurant in downtown London. Inside, the lights are dimmed to create a pleasant atmosphere. The waiter leads them to a secluded booth near the back corner of the restaurant and removes the small reserved sign from the table.

“I booked this table specifically because I figured people would be less likely to notice you if we’re sitting back here,” Ben says as they sit down. “Thought it might offer some privacy.” As he says this, both he and Anna notice several secret service agents, Weiss included, take seats strategically around the restaurant. “Well, as much privacy as can be expected I suppose.”

“I don’t believe this!” Anna exclaims. “It wasn’t enough to send just two? He sent an entire team?” Anna rises quickly from her seat, preparing to march over and confront Weiss.

“Anna, don’t.” Ben reaches out and places his hand on her arm, stopping her. “Leave them. It’s not their fault. They’re just doing they’re job.”

Anna remains standing for a moment, as if deciding what to do. Finally, she sits back down. “This is just so typical of my dad,” Anna says bitterly. “You know how many dates he’s ruined with this kind of nonsense?”

“Relax, it’s not a big deal. I’m not about to be scared off by some secret service agents. I was one of them, after all.” Ben cringes as soon as the words slip out, realizing this was probably not the best time to bring that up.

“Oh, I remember. Not going to be able to forget that moment of realization anytime soon.”

Ben sighs. “Look, Anna, I’m sorry for -”

“No, please, don’t apologize!” Anna says, cutting him off. “After all, it’s not your fault you lied to me for days. You were just doing your job!”

“No, Anna, that’s not what I’m saying-”

“You know what? Just forget about it.”

“No, Anna, I don’t want to forget about it because clearly you haven’t forgotten about it! So let’s talk about it.”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Ben,” Anna says with a sigh. “Not here, and not now. Let’s just have our meal and talk about something else.”

Ben sighs and shakes his head in frustration. They hadn’t talked about how things had ended between them when they last saw each other in Berlin, months ago. When she made the ‘big gesture’ and showed up at the opera house yesterday to find him, he’d hoped they could move past the feelings of hurt and betrayal that had caused them so much pain and permeated so much of their lives since she found him talking to Weiss over the phone at the Love Parade. But he realizes now that he was being willfully naïve to think that they could move on so easily without dealing with those feelings properly.

The waiter comes by and takes their orders and they sit uncomfortably, waiting for their food. They try to make small talk, asking each other about work and school, but the conversation is stilted and forced. When the food comes, it’s a relief because it gives them something to do. They eat mostly in silence, both pretending to be very absorbed in their food. It gives them an excuse not to talk and makes the silence less awkward. The food is actually very good but both Anna and Ben are left with a bitter taste in their mouths.

When they finish their meal, Ben pays the bill and drives Anna home. It’s only 8:30 but neither one of them feels like going out anywhere else.

Ben parks his bike outside Anna’s apartment building and she climbs off. She takes off her helmet and hands it back to Ben. “Thank you for dinner,” she says, and turns to walk into her building.

Ben rubs his hand over his face in frustration as he watches her walk away and for a moment he contemplates just leaving. But as he stares at her back, watching her walk away from him, he’s suddenly reminded of watching her walk away from him in Berlin. After finding out that he was a secret service agent assigned by her father to watch over her, she’d walked away from him into a helicopter and out of his life. He had even admitted that he was in love with her, but his betrayal had hurt her too much. She left him without even saying goodbye.

Ben had only known Anna for a few days, but during that time she had taken root in his heart, and her absence had left him feeling hollow. Before meeting her, he’d been perfectly content on his own. He was satisfied with his life – he didn’t need anyone, and that was okay with him. But then Anna had come along and somehow, she became a part of his identity. When she left, it was as if a vital part of him that he didn’t know he needed had been ripped away.

Recalling that terrible feeling, Ben is suddenly determined to never let that happen again. He jumps off his bike and runs into the apartment building after her. When he enters the lobby, he quickly scans the room. He spots her standing in an elevator with its door still open, waiting to ride up. Ben runs across the lobby to catch the elevator, but the door closes before he can reach it. He swears under his breath and hits the ‘up’ button to call another one. The display above the closed elevator doors indicates that the second of the two elevators in the building is up on the fourth floor. Ben sighs in frustration. Suddenly, he spots a sign for the stairs. Glancing back at the display, he realizes that the elevator is going to be awhile as it is now on the sixth floor and climbing

Quickly coming to a decision, Ben turns and pushes open the door to the stairwell. He sprints up the stairs, taking them two at a time as he rushes to reach the fifth floor. He wants to get to Anna before she enters her apartment because he’s not entirely sure she’ll open the door for him if he knocks.

Upon reaching the fifth floor, Ben quickly exits the stairwell. He sees Anna at the other end of the hallway, unlocking her apartment door. He runs toward her and calls out, “Anna, wait!” just as she’s opening the door.

She looks up at the sound of him calling her name and sees him running toward her. She hesitates in the doorway and Ben is afraid she’s going to go inside and shut the door on him. To his relief, a moment later she turns around and waits for him.

He slows down and stops a couple feet in front of her, his breathing a little heavier than normal from running up the stairs. “Look,” he says after a moment. “I know tonight wasn’t exactly an ideal first, official date. It obviously didn’t go as smoothly as I either of us wanted but I’m not just letting you walk away from me. Not again.”

“I’m not walking away from you, Ben. It’s just… I thought that I had moved on from what happened last time, but what you said just brought back all the all the hurt that I felt in Berlin.”

“I know, and I’m so sorry, Anna. Believe me, I never meant to hurt you. That’s the last thing I would ever want!”

“I believe you. But when I found out that you had been working for my dad all along, I felt like I couldn’t trust anyone. With you, I was finally free! I was happy!” Anna feels her throat thicken and hot tears burn her eyes, threatening to spill over. “I gave myself to you, and then the next day it all just came crashing down.” A single tear slips from her eye and trails down her cheek. In that moment, Ben feels like he’s been stabbed in the heart. “I felt like everything that happened between us was a lie. Just a way to stay close to me because it was your job.”

“Anna, I promise you, it was more than just a job. Yes, that was why I followed you at first, but as I got to know you it became so much more than that! I swear, I would never use you.” His eyes stare into hers, pleading with her to believe him.

Anna nods, wiping the tears from her eyes. “I know. That’s why I came to find you. It just took me a long time to realize it and decide to move past what happened. But I guess I didn’t move past it as well as I thought.”

Ben takes a cautious step toward her and gently places his hands on her arms. Looking into her eyes, he says, “Listen, I hated lying to you, and I am sorry that I didn’t tell you. After you left, all I could think about, for the longest time, was you. I kept thinking, over and over how I should have told you who I was at this moment or that moment. I wanted to tell you after the kiss in Venice, I wanted to tell you in Austria and on our way to Berlin, but it never felt like the right moment. I was scared that I would lose you if I told you, but… instead I lost you because I didn’t.”

Anna feels more tears brimming as she stares into Ben’s sincere eyes. She sniffs and says, “You haven’t lost me.”

Her words send a sense of relief through his body, but he still needs to be sure that she knows something. He swallows hard against the lump that had risen in his throat. “I need you to know, everything I said to you that night Austria, everything that happened that night, it was all real. Every second. Every word.”

Anna wipes away the tears that had formed in her eyes. “And what about Berlin?” She asks. Ben frowns, looking confused. “Did you mean what you said to me in Berlin? You said that you…” She pauses for a moment. Anna had always been one to say exactly what was on her mind but for some reason, she finds herself unable to say the words. Suddenly, she’s afraid that vocalizing them will scare him away. She knew from experience that Ben has struggled in the past with saying how he truly feels. And anyway, it had been months since he said those words to her. What if he no longer felt that way? She knew he had a thing for her, but he might not feel as strongly about her anymore after months apart. Anna takes a deep breath and starts again. “Did you mean what you said about how you didn’t mean for it to happen, but it did?”

It takes a moment, but Ben finally realizes what she’s asking him as he recalls what he said while trying to explain himself after she found out about his real identity. He’d been frantic as he desperately tried to stop her from running away from him, but every word he’d said was true. In that moment, it was no longer about chasing after her because she was the President’s daughter and it was his job. It was about chasing after the woman who’d taken root in his heart and was suddenly ripping it out. His eyes soften and he says, “Yes, I meant it. I fell in love with you, Anna.” He slowly raises his hand and gently cups her cheek. “You and your theories and your sense of adventure and your impulsivity,” he pauses before adding, “even though it was rather irritating at times,” he teases, smirking. Anna laughs and the sound is music to Ben’s ears.

He pauses to collect himself, mustering the courage to say the words she’s still hoping to hear and his heart is calling for him to say. “The months after Berlin were some of the longest and loneliest of my life. It wasn’t that I was any more alone than I had been before I met you, but when you came along it was like you somehow became a vital part of my life. In those months, it killed me to think that you might be off with some other man. Because you are the most beautiful, extraordinary person I have ever known. Because my heart races just being near you, and because the thought that I’d lost you forever made me sick. Because…” He takes a deep breath and looks deep into her eyes. “Because I love you, Anna.”

Anna is certain that she feels her heart leap in her chest at his words. She hears the sincerity in his voice and sees it in his eyes. In that moment, all the feelings of hurt and betrayal that she’d tried to bury, but had still been clinging to life, completely wash away. She’s suddenly free, as if a weight has been lifted from her shoulders. 

Anna closes the remaining distance between them, wrapping her arms around him as their lips meet. The kiss is both passionate and loving as they pour all their feelings into it. Ben’s arms wrap around her back, holding her close as if afraid she might run away from him again. 

Anna eventually breaks the kiss, pulling back just slightly to look into his eyes. “I love you, too.” Ben smiles and leans in to kiss her again. He pulls back after a minute and says with a grin, “I should hope so. I mean, really, how could you not after a speech like that?”

Anna drops her mouth open, pretending to be offended. “You’re so full of it! I might just have to reconsider.”

“Oh no you don’t,” he says, and captures her lips with his again.

Anna smiles into the kiss which quickly becomes more passionate. As if their minds are in sync, they move together toward the door to Anna’s apartment which is still ajar from when she opened it earlier. They step inside and Ben pushes the door closed behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think of chapter 3? I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I worked hard on it but I'm not entirely happy with how it turned out. I really like parts of it, and other parts I think definitely could have been better. But anyway, I hope you liked it anyway!   
> Reviews and suggestions are always welcome, or just leave a comment to say hi, if you want!  
> I'll try to upload the next chapter sometime in the next week or two so be on the lookout for that.   
> Thanks so much for reading!


	4. Connection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after their first official date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 is here! Thanks for being patient! I had hoped to get this up a little earlier but I've been super busy.  
> Just a little warning, parts of this chapter are closer to an M rating than a T. It's not particularly explicit, but I think it's on the edge between T and M. For now I'm keeping the T rating for this fic since I'm not planning on making it more explicit than this, but in the future I'll change it if I need to.  
> Anyway, hope you enjoy!

The early morning sun shines through Anna’s bedroom window, its warm rays landing on the bed where Anna and Ben sleep. The light hits Ben’s closed eyelids, causing him to slowly wake. Gradually opening his eyes, it takes him a moment to realize why his surroundings are unfamiliar. He smiles when he sees Anna lying beside him, her back turned. She’s still sleeping soundly, her shoulders slowly rising and falling in time with her soft breathing. 

He raises himself up on an elbow and scans the room, searching for a clock. Although he’d spent the night there, he’d been too focused on other things the previous night to notice much about the room. Looking at it now, he notices that it’s fairly large, big enough to be a studio flat on its own, especially considering the exorbitant housing and rent prices in London. Reasonably priced accommodations were practically non-existent in London, particularly downtown, and a flat the size of this room alone would be expensive. The walls are a blueish-grey and there are three closed white doors. The one on the wall opposite the bed, he knows, leads to main room of the flat. The other two are situated on the wall to Ben’s left and he assumes they lead to the closet and the bathroom. The fourth and final wall, located on the right side of the room when facing the door, contains a large window which provides a good view of the city skyline. Although it’s a nice room, it’s clear that it hasn’t been lived in for very long. There aren’t many personal items or decorations, other than the bed and a wooden dresser, making the room seem sparse. In its current state, it feels more like a hotel room than a home. There are a few of boxes stacked around the room, presumably packed full of personal items and decorations which Anna has yet to unpack. 

Next to Anna’s side of the bed, there is a wooden bedside table - the only other furniture in the room. On it, Ben spots a small digital alarm clock with neon blue numbers which read, 7:13. It’s Saturday so there’s no need for either of them to get up early. 

Ben looks over his shoulder at the window behind him and notices that there are, in fact, blinds on it which would have prevented him from being woken up so early. Clearly, both of them were too distracted the previous night to bother closing them. The sun’s rays have yet to reach Anna’s side of the bed. Not wanting to wake her, Ben carefully climbs out from under the covers and walks over to the window, closing the blinds to help her sleep. 

Now that he’s awake, he knows there’s little chance he’ll be able to fall back asleep. He would have enjoyed the chance to sleep in, but he’s used to getting up early so he resigns himself to the fact that today would be no exception. Pulling on his jeans from the night before, Ben slips out of the bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him. He makes his way to the kitchen which is situated on the opposite end of the flat with the main room in the middle, separating the bedroom and kitchen. 

The kitchen, much like the bedroom, is only partially unpacked. Several small boxes are scattered around, still unopened. Ben opens the cupboards one by one in search of tea. The cupboards contain a couple of plates and glasses, along with a few other kitchen supplies, but he’s unable to find any tea bags, or a kettle for that matter. He glances around the flat but can’t see anywhere else where she might have put them. If she owns a kettle or tea bags, they must still be packed. Unwilling to start opening up the boxes and going through all her things, Ben turns and leaves the kitchen, heading back the bedroom. He doesn’t think she’d mind if he opened some of the boxes, but he doesn’t want to assume. They have only just gotten together after all, and he doesn’t want her to think he’s invading her privacy.

He quietly reenters the bedroom and looks over to see if Anna is still asleep. She’s in almost the same position he left her in, but she must have moved at some point because her hair has fallen into her face, half covering her nose and right eye. He smiles at the adorable sight before heading into the bathroom to take a shower.  
. . .

Anna wakes with a feeling of pure happiness. Thoughts of the night before instantly flood into her mind and she smiles as she remembers the feeling of Ben’s hands running along her body, his lips against her skin, the warmth of his weight on top of her, pressing her into the mattress. Her body thrums with pleasure, as if she can still feel the touch of his skin against hers.

Anna rolls over, expecting to see Ben lying next to her, but is surprised to find his side of the bed empty. She can still smell his pleasant scent on the sheets and pillow which brings back even more pleasant memories from the previous night. She props herself up on her elbow, wondering where he’s gone. He hasn’t left, has he? Anna doesn’t think Ben would do that. 

Just then she hears a door open behind her. She turns to see Ben coming out of the bathroom, his short hair wet and glistening and a towel wrapped around his waist. Her stomach flutters at the sight, admiring his cut figure.

“Good morning,” she says. She smiles shyly, feeling uncharacteristically self-conscious after last night. 

Realizing she’s awake, Ben smiles and walks over to the bed. “Morning,” he replies, leaning down over the bed and kissing her gently. 

The kiss lingers for several seconds and desire floods through Anna’s body, just as it had when Ben kissed her outside her apartment the night before. She deepens the kiss, reaching up to place a hand on his cheek and then quickly shifting it to the back of his neck, running her fingers through his damp hair. Just as she’s thinking of wrapping her arms around his body and pulling him down on top of her, she feels him begin to break the kiss, slowly pulling away. He straightens back up and Anna suppresses a sigh as his lips leave hers. 

She watches as he searches for his shirt which he’d discarded the previous night. He finally finds it lying on the floor in front of the bed and begins to get dressed. A wave of disappointment washes over her. Doesn’t he want to? Insecure thoughts creep, unwelcome, into Anna’s mind. What if I’m not any good? Maybe he didn’t enjoy it as much as I did… 

She knows she is inexperienced. Despite her claim in Venice that she knew what she was doing, in reality, it is all new to her. Of course, she’s seen it occasionally in movies and on TV, and she’s imagined it happening more times than she cares to admit, but she knows now that is hardly comparable to the real thing. 

She knows as well that, unlike her, Ben had not been a virgin before that night in Austria. While she doesn’t know how many other girls he has slept with, it was obvious he actually did know what he was doing. This fact doesn’t bother Anna at all, she’d assumed as much, but she desperately wants to be able to please him. She wants to make him feel as good as he makes her feel. 

But I what if I can’t give that to him? She wonders sadly. Does he still want me?

Ben, for his part, doesn’t want to push her. He knows that she had been a virgin before they’d shared a sleeping bag under the stars. She’d told him so the night before in Venice. And although, upon reuniting, they haven’t discussed it, he assumes that she hasn’t slept with anyone since then. This would mean that last night was only her second time, and the first time in months. When he’d kissed her this morning, he’d quickly felt a familiar sense of desire wash over him, starting in his stomach and chest and spreading to the rest of his body. He desperately wanted to slip back into bed and pull her against his chest; to feel the soft rush of her skin against his. But he’d resisted, forcing himself to pull away before it went too far. He knows that she’s probably still sore from the night before and he doesn’t want to pressure her into it. Although he realizes, with some amusement, that it would be nearly impossible to pressure Anna into anything she didn’t want to do. 

Anna considers for a moment longer as Ben starts to button up his shirt, his slender fingers adeptly sliding the buttons through the holes with ease. Anna had experienced firsthand what those fingers are capable of, and it is this thought that brings her to a decision. Pushing aside her doubts, she abruptly throws the sheet that had been covering her off to the side and stands up. Yes, she’s inexperienced, but the only way to become experienced is to practice, and Anna is fast learner. 

Ben’s back is to her when she gets out of bed, but he turns when he hears her footsteps behind him. Anna is walking toward him, completely naked. He can’t help but take in her stunning figure, his eyes sweeping over her curves with a mix of appreciation and desire, before jumping back up to meet her determined gaze. He goes to speak but finds himself strangely unable. He swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down quickly as he attempts to regain his composure and form those things called, ‘words’. As he opens his mouth to try again, the words are immediately prevented from manifesting again, this time by the press of Anna’s mouth against his. 

This kiss is hard and passionate, her lips engulfing his as she places her hands on the back of his head, pulling him harder against her. Ben is momentarily caught off guard, but he quickly recovers responding to the kiss with equal urgency. His arms encircle her body and his hands roam along her smooth skin, reveling in the contact. 

Anna arches her back, her hips pressing into him causing a thrill of need to course through her body. Her heart pounds in her chest at double its usual speed, so loud she’s certain that Ben must be able to hear it. 

Their lips break apart just slightly, their faces still so close together that their noses can touch. They’re both breathing hard, and not just from lack of oxygen. This close, Anna can see Ben’s dilated pupils, and in her mind, she does a dance of joy at the desire evident in his eyes, proud that she’s the one who caused it. 

Anna removes her hands from Ben’s neck and begins to unbutton Ben’s shirt. He’d only managed to get half of them done up before being interrupted so she makes quick work of them. In that moment, all of his remaining reservations go out the window. She obviously wants this just as much as he does, and he is more than happy to oblige.

As soon as she slides the last button out of its hole, Ben shrugs the shirt off, tossing it carelessly back on the floor. Immediately, he recaptures her lips with his, encircling her slim figure in his arms. Then he shifts his hands down and picks her up by the thighs, her legs wrapping tightly around his hips as he carries her over to the bed.  
. . .

Some time later, Anna lies with her head resting against Ben’s firm chest. His skin is warm against her cheek and she can hear the steady beat of his heart, its rhythm almost perfectly in sync with her own. His arm is wrapped around her shoulder, his fingers lightly skimming over her skin as his hand moves lazily up and down her arm and back. Anna smiles at the sensation. It tickles, but in a soft, pleasurable way. She marvels at how it’s such a simple thing yet strangely intimate. 

“Well,” Ben says with a smile, “that was an unexpected surprise.”

“A good one?” 

Ben gives her an amused look and pulls her up so he can kiss her. “Mmmm… No. Terrible,” he murmurs between kisses. His lips shift to the corner of her mouth and down to her jaw, slowly making their way to the sensitive skin covering her jugular where, he’d discovered last night, she is particularly sensitive. 

She involuntarily lets out a long sigh of satisfaction when his lips finally press against that spot. He’s so good gauging her reactions to bring her as much pleasure as possible. She wants to be able to do that for him. To make him feel as good as he makes her feel. 

The gentle pressure of Ben’s lips against her throat causes her mind to wander, thinking of other places his mouth could travel. Her stomach tightens at the thought. Or maybe she could do that for him. They haven’t done anything like that yet, and Anna wonders if she’d enjoy doing that for him. Would he enjoy it? She doesn’t even know if she’s been any good at the things they’ve done so far, let alone if she’d be good at something more adventurous. 

Ben’s mouth has started working its way up the other side of her neck, slowly making its way back toward her mouth. His lips find hers again, giving her one long, slow final kiss. His hand continues its gentle movement across her skin, running languidly along her spine. 

In the peaceful quiet of her bedroom, Anna decides that now is as good a time as any to have her thoughts answered. 

Anna has always been one to speak her mind. She has never understood the point of beating around the bush and likes to say exactly what she is thinking. So, for this situation, Anna decides that once again, the direct approach is best. 

“So, do you enjoy making love with me?” 

Ben gives her a look that can only be described as perplexed amusement. 

Anna frowns. “What’s that look for?”

Chuckling, Ben replies, “Well it’s just that given this morning’s events and what time we went to sleep last night, I would’ve thought that the answer to that question would be fairly obvious.”

“No, I mean, am I any good.” She rushes to explain, “Because I know I’m inexperienced and clearly you aren’t. I mean, you obviously know what you’re doing.” The words tumble out of her mouth at an accelerated rate. “Which is great, by the way! I’m totally fine with the fact that you’ve slept with other women before me, but I just want to make sure that I’m making you happy the same way that -”

Anna’s ramblings are cut off by Ben chuckling underneath her. 

“What?” she asks, mildly annoyed, thinking that he’s mocking her.

Ben sighs, then shifts his position, raising himself up and turning to face her so that their eyes are at the same level. There’s a hint of a smile on his face as he says, “Well, first of all, you seem to have this notion that I’ve slept with loads of women. True, I wasn’t a virgin when we met, but, for the record, despite being older than you and not having an overprotective world leader for a father, I don’t have a bunch of notches on my bedpost. I’ve never been one to really sleep around.” He smirks and says, “But I’m glad you think so highly of my… abilities.”

Anna smiles shyly and she feels heat rising to her face. 

Grinning, Ben brushes a lock of hair out of her face. “You’re cute when you’re embarrassed,” he says, leaning in to plant a light kiss on her lips.

After a moment, he becomes serious. “Now, second, I don’t care in the least about your ‘inexperience’. There is no one I’d rather be with.”

“Good,” she says, nodding. “Because I’m not giving you up. But you still haven’t answered my question. I want to be able to bring you the same kind of pleasure that you bring me. And I have no idea if I’m any good at it. So, since you have experience with this, do you enjoy it with me? Do I make you feel good?”

Ben reaches up and gently strokes her cheek. “Darling, I adore making love to you. You’re beautiful, and amazing, and there’s no one I’d rather be with. Because I love you, Anna. And making love to you is far better than any meaningless shag.” Their first time together, in the sleeping bag under the stars, and then again during their time together last night, he’d realized something he wouldn’t have understood before meeting Anna. “Look, I don’t care how experienced you are because sex is about more than just experience and mutual pleasure. It’s about…” He pauses, trying to form his realization into words. “It’s about connecting on a deep, intimate, emotional level with someone you love. And without that it’s almost… hollow.” He smiles. “For the first time in my life I’ve been able to experience that connection because of you, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Anna feels tears forming in her eyes and she decides that was the most beautiful thing she’s ever heard. She laughs softly through her tears and cups Ben’s warm cheek with her hand. “I have a theory about you, Ben Calder,” she says.

Ben raises his eyebrows. “About me?”

Nodding, she says, “Yes. I think underneath that sarcastic exterior you’re really a hopeless romantic.”

“Sarcastic? Me? I don’t have the faintest idea what you’re talking about.” 

Anna smiles. “Really? So I take it you’re not going to deny being a romantic then?”

“Well, as you’d say in America, I plead the fifth.”

“Oh, fine then.” Anna leans in and kisses him sweetly, savoring the softness of his lips. Getting an idea, she gently pushes Ben back so he’s once again lying face up on the bed. She follows him, lying on top of him of him so their chests are touching. She raises herself up just enough to be able to look him in the eyes and says, “You know, I know you said it’s not about how much experience I have, but it couldn’t hurt to get more practice. Anyway, it’s Saturday and it’s still early, so now is the perfect time.” She leans down and kisses him again, longer this time.

Smiling, he says against her lips, “I like the sound of that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it.  
> As always let me know your thoughts in the comments section - good or bad, I welcome reviews and your honest opinions.  
> Also, what are thoughts on the rating? I'm not planning on making it any more explicit than this, and probably most chapters won't be as mature as this one. But I'd like to know what you think. Do you want it to be a little more mature? Or would you rather it stay more in the T rating? I'm open to your ideas and suggestions.  
> Stay tuned for chapter 5!


	5. Unheard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 is finally here! So sorry this took so long to update. I really wanted to post this sooner but I got stuck part way through the chapter and I've been super busy with end of semester assignments that I haven't had much time to work on it. Thanks for your patience. I hope you enjoy!

The school semester starts less than a week after Anna and Ben are reunited which quickly plunges Anna into an ocean of assigned readings, essays, and assignments. With her days instantly filled with seemingly endless classes, and her nights consumed by homework and too little sleep, Anna and Ben rarely get the opportunity to see each other after that first weekend. Fortunately, they had exchanged phone numbers, so they manage to talk most nights, at least for a little while, even if they don’t have much time to actually see each other in the first couple weeks of school. 

After two and a half weeks of this, Anna steps out of her final class for the evening followed by two secret service agents (not Weiss today) and starts toward the black SUV that they always drive to escort her to and from school. However, as she approaches the vehicle, she notices a familiar tall and handsome man leaning against a motorbike next to the SUV. His eyes scan the crowd of students in search of someone, then stop when they land on her. He smiles and her breath catches in her throat at the way his smile lights up his already stunning features. He stands up straight as she makes her way toward him. 

“What you are doing here?” she asks.

“Well, hello to you too, darling,” Ben replies.

“Sorry,” she says, laughing at herself. “It’s good to see you.” She hugs him, her arms wrapping tightly around his body as she takes a moment to enjoy being held by him. The last time they saw each other was about a week ago and already, Anna had been missing his touch – his warm hands against her skin, his soft lips against hers.

Suddenly, Anna snaps out of her daydream and pulls back, looking worried. “Oh no, I didn’t forget about any plans for tonight, did I?”

Ben chuckles and reassures her, “No, you didn’t. But I was finished work for the day and I thought I’d surprise you.”

“You came all this way just to surprise me? That’s so sweet!” Anna says, grinning. Oxford is just over an hour’s drive from London. It might have been smarter for her to live closer to school, but Anna likes living in cities - the bustle of life at all hours, the multitude of things to do and explore. Plus, she liked the idea of living in London in particular. Partially because she likes the look and feel of it, but also partially because Ben is there.

Then with dismay, she remembers the mountain of homework waiting for her back home. She sighs. “Look, Ben, I would love to spend some time with you. Like, you have no idea how great that would be right now, but I just can’t. I’m really sorry.” She looks at him apologetically. “I’ve just for so much work to do right now. I have a huge history essay due this week and this stupid research project due next week. Plus a bunch of stuff I have to read for my classes and -”

“Anna, it’s okay” Ben says, cutting her off her ramblings with a laugh. “I know you’re busy, I just thought I’d drive you home. I’m not trying to run away to Berlin with you.”

Anna laughs in relief, glad she didn’t offend him, although she feels kind of bad that he drove so far. But at the same time, she’s also really touched, and she has a sudden urge to grab him by his leather jacket and make out with him right here on the side of the street.  
Anna is snapped out of the delicious thought by Ben handing her a helmet. “Plus, I figure you have to eat sometime, and I’ve seen the sad state of your refrigerator,” he says, climbing onto the bike. “We’ll just stop and get some take-away or something on the way. It won’t take long.”

Anna’s fridge and cupboards are practically empty since she hasn’t bothered to do much grocery shopping since arriving in London. She picked up a few things from the store that she kept around to snack on, but nothing substantial.

Anna gets on the bike behind Ben and holds onto him as he starts the engine. He turns and waves to the secret service agents waiting in the SUV behind them before pulling away, turning onto the London streets.

. . .

They arrive at Anna’s flat just over an hour later. Anna puts her bag by her desk, located off to the side of the main living area, near the bedroom door, while Ben sets the bag of food they’d bought down on the coffee table in front of the couch in the main room. 

Anna hadn’t bothered to get a kitchen or dining room table because, living alone, she didn’t see the point. She has a small table out on her balcony which she can use in nice weather. And if the weather isn’t nice enough to eat outside she usually sits at her desk, which works just fine when she’s alone. 

Tonight, the temperature is a little colder than usual for this time of year, making eating outside impractical. There’s a cool breeze and the setting mid-May sun is blocked out by the London skyline, casting the balcony in shadow. For these reasons, Ben decides that they can just sit on the couch for their meal.

Just a few days after arriving in London, Anna had discovered cute little burger shop a few streets away from her building and instantly fallen in love with it. It was a small, family-run business with just one location, but their food was delicious. She had practically dragged Ben there the very next day, insisting he had to try it. He’d been skeptical at first, but was quickly won over by their french fries, which he described as, “the best bloody chips he’d ever tasted”.

In the two weeks since then, Anna had eaten there three times and she already knew the owners quite well, chatting with them every time she went in. Anita and Robert Rudolf are a friendly married in their late thirties. They have two sons, aged 8 and 6, named Jamie and Bradley that Anna and Ben had met because the two boys happened to be in the store the first time Anna had taken him there. The Rudolf’s teenage niece Elizabeth also worked at the restaurant part time. 

They’d stopped there again this evening, both because Anna loves it so much and because of its convenient location. 

As Anna walks over, Ben pulls out their food from the paper bag and places it down on the coffee table, still wrapped in the foil keeping it warm. She plops down next to him on the couch and picks up her burger. After taking her first bite, she moans in appreciation. Ben smiles smugly to himself as he can’t help but find the noise incredibly hot. 

Anna eats a few of her french fries and says, “These are so addicting. Do you think they put, like, drugs in them or something? So you have to keep going back and buying more?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure your friends Mr. and Mrs. Randolf are actually the leaders of a local drug cartel. They probably have dozens of kilos of cocaine stored in their basement.”

Anna laughs loudly and has to quickly cover her mouth with the back of her hand, her mouth still full of food. “And Bradley and Jamie are probably their enforcers.”

One corner of Ben’s mouth turns upward in his signature, uneven smile that Anna finds incredibly cute. “Always the innocent looking ones you gotta watch out for.”

When they finish their food, Ben gathers up the foil and paper packaging and heads into the kitchen to put it in the garbage. While in the kitchen, he asks, “So, most of your work is due in the next week, right?”

“Week and a half. I have a paper due next Friday and then nothing but some reading for a couple weeks after that.” Anna lets out an exasperated sigh. “I don’t get it!” she complains. “I mean, I have all this stuff to do now and then nothing. Why can’t they spread it out? It’s like the professors all get together and plan to make sure all of their assignments are due at the exact same time!”

Ben leaves the kitchen and says, “Yup. It’s all a conspiracy.” He sits back down on the couch and faces her. “But, as it turns out, it might just be a good thing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it just so happens that the weekend after your paper is due is a long weekend which means, no work or school. So, I was thinking that you and I could go away for a few days. You know, get out of London, see the countryside.”

Anna grins widely. “It would be just like old times!”

“Well, maybe not quite. You should probably consider not hugging any nutty homeless guys so we have money to actually pay for our meals this time. Plus, it might be nice to stay in actual hotels.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Anna says. “I thought the sleeping bag was pretty enjoyable.” 

A slight smile crosses his face. “Okay, can’t argue with that,” he concedes. “But you know what’s even more enjoyable? An actual bed, in a private room, with a lock.”

The thought of spending three consecutive nights sharing a bed with Ben made Anna tingle with excitement. She shifts closer to him on the couch. “That sounds very promising,” she says, smiling suggestively. “And do you plan on taking advantage of this privacy?”

“I might,” he says. He shrugs casually, the slightest hint of a smile ghosting across his face. “I haven’t decided.”

Grinning wickedly, Anna pulls him toward her and makes out with him thoroughly, their tongues intertwining indulgently after just a few seconds. Finally, Anna pulls back and asks, “What about now?”

Ben seems to consider this for a moment before replying. “Hmmm… I think I might need a little more persuasion.” Grinning, he leans toward her and their lips lock together again.

Just then, Anna’s phone goes off across the room. Anna groans as its irritatingly high-pitched ring interrupts their delicious make-out session.

“It’s like my dad has cameras planted in here!” she complains.

“Probably,” Ben says.

She pecks him on the lips one more time before standing up to answer the cursed little device. “Hello?” She answers. The voices on the other end confirm her suspicions that it’s her parents and they chat for a few minutes about life and school and all the usual topics.

While waiting, Ben checks the time and realizes that it’s already later than he’d planned on staying. Knowing that Anna has a lot of homework to do, he gets up off the couch and gathers his things, getting ready to leave for when Anna gets off the phone. 

Noticing his movements, Anna grabs his arm just as he slips on his leather jacket. He turns and gives her a questioning look. “Hang on, don’t leave yet,” she says, still on the phone.

Thinking she was talking to him, Anna’s father says, “Um, okay. I wasn’t planning on leaving yet.”

“Oh, no sorry Dad!” Anna says quickly. “I was actually talking to Ben. He picked me up from school.”

“He drove all the way out there to pick you up?” Michelle Foster, Anna’s mother, asks. “That was awfully nice of him.”

Anna grins at Ben. “Yes, it was.”

“So you two are doing well?” President Foster asks.

“We’re doing great! In fact, we’re actually going away for the long weekend.”

“Really? And when will you be leaving?”

Anna knows instantly what her father is thinking. “Oh nonononono!” she objects rapidly. “I don’t need an army of agents following my every move!”

“It won’t be an army, just two agents. Going alone is out of the question. You’ll barely even know they’re there anyway.”

“Oh yeah right! Your agents don’t exactly scream subtlety. I always know when they’re there.”

“Really?” Her father’s voice seems to say, Always? Aren’t you forgetting something?

“Well, except for Ben, obviously. That was the one exception. But that’s the point, anyway! I won’t be alone! Ben will be there, just like last time!”

“Ben Calder is not an agent anymore.”

Anna laughs in disbelief. “So, what? You trust him to protect me when it’s his job but not when he’s my-” Anna cuts herself off before she says the word ‘boyfriend’. Is he her boyfriend? She thinks he probably is because what else could he be? He had told her he loved her and she had said it back, they go out on dates, they kiss, they sleep together, and he does thoughtful things like pick her up after school just to spend time with her, even though it means driving way out of his way.

But they haven’t talked about it and in the movies she’s seen they always decide to make it official before actually calling each other boyfriend or girlfriend.

Anna corrects herself and says, “But not when we’re dating? If anything, that should mean he’ll want to protect me even more! And he kept me perfectly safe last time!”

“Yes, but it was also never planned that it would be just the two of you last time. Weiss and Morales were supposed to be following you as well.”

“Well, clearly they didn’t need to be. I was fine! I will be fine. I’m an adult and I don’t need a team of babysitters!”

“And I’m still your father, and the President of the United States! This isn’t up for debate. Two agents, that’s all. They won’t get in your way. Just ignore them. You’ll survive.”

There’s a long pause. Anna knows she can’t win this argument, so she finally just says, “Fine,” and abruptly hangs up. 

“Well that sounded like it went well,” Ben says.

“He is so infuriating!” Anna fumes. “He’s making two agents follow us, and that’s if he keeps his promise and doesn’t send even more! He still treats me like a child! Why can’t he let me have even a few days of normalcy?”

Ben shrugs. “Because you’re his daughter and he can’t protect you if you’re alone.”

“But I’m not even going to be alone! You’ll be with me and that should be enough for him. It was last time!”

“Well to be fair, he may have trusted me to protect you before, but he never intended it to just be me. Weiss and Morales were supposed to be following until we hopped on the wrong train and ended up in Venice.”

“That’s exactly what he said,” Anna mutters. Suddenly, an idea dawns on her. “That’s what we should do!”

Ben raises an eyebrow. “What? Take a train to Venice?”

“Yes! No! I mean, we make them think we’re going one place and then go somewhere else instead. No agents following our every move, no father looking over my shoulder. Just three days of complete freedom where no one knows where we are.”

“Perfect way to prove to him how responsible you are.” Ben says dryly. “Just completely disappear for several days without a trace. I’m sure that will win him over. Very mature.” Ben regrets his words the instant they slip out of his mouth. 

“Wow,” Anna says, crossing her arms. “Well, if you think I’m so immature then maybe we shouldn’t go away after all.” She storms away, heading for her bedroom.

Ben silently curses his tendency to make sarcastic comments about everything and chases after her. “Oh, c’mon,” he says. “That’s not -”

“No no no, I get it!” Anna says, cutting him off. “You think I’m an irresponsible child who can’t take care of herself.”

“No, I never said that!” He gets ahead of her and plants himself in her way so she has to face him. “Of course you can take care of yourself-”

“Oh! So you just think I’m an irresponsible child, then. Well thank you! Thank you so much for clarifying that for me.”

“No, I don’t think you’re a child! But disappearing like that is irresponsible. A few hours is one thing, but a few days with no contact and no idea where either of us are is completely different! He’s the President, he’d probably start an international manhunt. And frankly, if you think that doing this will convince him that you need less protection, then you’re just being naive.”

Anna stares at him for a long moment, her mouth hanging open in shock at his harsh words. Finally, she says, “Well, I’m so glad we got that out in the open. It’s good to know what you really think of me.” Shaking her head in disgust, she pushes past him, her anger evident in pounding footsteps. 

Ben quickly turns to follow her again. “Anna-”

“No, you know what, Ben?” She says, spinning around to face him once more. “Just go. I already have a father, I don’t need you chastising me. So just go.” She turns and jerks the bedroom door handle down, shoving the door open in front of her. 

Ben throws up his hands in frustration. “What, we’re just going to leave it like that?”

“I have work to do,” she says, glaring at him. When he makes no move to leave, she points angrily to the door. “Seriously, go!” Without waiting to see if he obeys, she slams the door shut in his face, the force of the impact rattling the sparse furniture. 

Momentarily stunned, Ben stares at the painted white door in front of him for several seconds, its 2-inch thick solid wood creating a seemingly mile thick barrier between them. He shakes his head in annoyance and mutters, “Walking away and slamming the door. Yeah, real mature.” Sighing in frustration, he turns and leaves.

When she hears the front door close behind him, Anna slumps down, her back sliding down the bedroom door until she’s crouched on her heels, knees up and back pressed against the hard, wooden door behind her. The darkness of the room envelops her, and the silence is broken only by the sobs which escape unbidden from her mouth, unable to force them down any longer. The sobs, a mix of anger and hurt, fade into the blackness, unheard by anyone but herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the sad ending to this chapter! I really didn't initially intend for the chapter to end this way but then I got some new ideas for the ending to this chapter and how it could lead into the next chapter and I liked my new idea more. Please don't hate me! I promise, things will get better.


	6. Assumptions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter is finally up! It has been waaay too long since I updated this and I am so sorry it took this long. Avengers Endgame came out while I was in the middle of working on this chapter and once I saw that (on opening night) I became really distracted with a bunch of Marvel stuff. But not to worries! I am not abandoning this story. I will definitely try to update more quickly this time now that I'm back and writing again.
> 
> Thank you so much for sticking with me. I really appreciate all of your reviews and kind words. I hope you enjoy this new chapter!

Chapter 6: Assumptions

The blaring beeping of her alarm clock startles Anna the next morning, suddenly waking her from a fitful sleep. Turning off the alarm, she groans and stretches before regretfully sitting up. Eyes bleary from lack of sleep, she stumbles into the bathroom to clean up and get ready for the day.

Standing in front of the sink, she catches a glance of herself in the mirror. She looks awful - hair flying everywhere in desperate need of brushing, eyes red and sore from crying the previous night and a restless sleep.

Turning away from her reflection, Anna turns on the shower, undresses, and groggily steps into the spray, hoping the hot water will wash away the grogginess along with the hurt and anger of the night before.

. . .

The day crawls by for Anna - each class seeming to drag on longer than the last. When she finally slumps into the back of the car that's waiting to take her home, she can't help but sigh and rub her eyes in exhaustion. The lack of sleep and residual anger from her argument with Ben had made it difficult to focus, and she still had a mountain of homework waiting for her at her apartment.

The SUV pulls away, leaving Oxford and heading back to London. Weiss is driving, his new partner Jim in the passenger seat.

Anna pulls out her phone and checks it. No messages, no missed calls. She puts the phone down in her lap and sighs. Resolving to think about something else, Anna asks, "Hey, how's Morales doing?"

Weiss grins widely. "Oh, she's great! And beautiful as ever!" Anna can't help but smile at his enthusiasm. Weiss maintains a steady stream of cheerful chatter for the duration of the drive while Jim remains stoic as usual, only speaking when addressed directly. It's impossible not to notice the stark contrast between the two agents - Weiss with his constant joking and upbeat attitude, all the while trying to maintain his cool facade, and Jim with his stereotypical bodyguard persona with his silence, stiff posture, and blank expression.

Anna's mood lightens over the course of the drive, laughing at Weiss' jokes even though half of them are terrible.

Even still, Weiss can tell something is off. The smile that's not quite as bright, the slight slump of her shoulders, and the occasional anxious biting of her lower lip are all signs that Weiss has grown familiar with over the years of being Anna's security detail that signal that she's upset about something. And then there's the periodic conflicted glances at her phone that seem almost unconscious, as if she's either anxiously waiting for someone to call or trying to decide whether to call them.

When they pull up to her apartment building, Weiss shifts the vehicle into park and turns in his seat to face her.

"So you want me to beat him up for you?"

"What?" Anna laughs, confused. "Who?"

"Ben Calder. You're upset because something happened between you two."

Anna's jaw drops, stunned. "How could you possibly know that?"

Weiss casually shrugs. "I know women. I have a natural ability to read them and know exactly what they're thinking."

"Really? Well, I wonder what Morales would say about that," Anna says, smirking.

"Oh well, Cynthia would never admit to it, but I can read her like a book. But," he says, raising his hand and pointing his index finger up into the air, "my love life is not the topic of discussion. So, what did he do?" Weiss leans forward and listens intently, as if hearing about a juicy piece of gossip.

Anna sighs. "We had an argument. It wasn't even anything, it was stupid. It's just… He thinks I'm a child! He came right out and said I'm immature and irresponsible and if that's what he really thinks then maybe I shouldn't be going out with a guy who thinks that about me!" Anna suddenly covers her mouth in shock at her own words. "I didn't mean that…" Anna loves Ben and has absolutely no intention of breaking up with him, but the words had just slipped out in her anger. "He can just be so frustrating sometimes!"

Weiss nods sympathetically. "Sounds like he hurt you. You know," he leans forward and whispers conspiratorially, "it's my job to protect you so it's practically in my job description to beat him up if he hurts you." Anna smiles, despite herself. "So, you want me head over there?" Weiss cocks his head from side to side, stretching out his neck, and cracks his knuckles. "I can take him."

Anna eyebrows shoot up. "You sure 'bout that?"

"Wow. What do you mean 'am I sure'?" Weiss says in mock offense. "Course I'm sure. You think I can't take that skinny English pretty boy, with his perfect hair and teeth and those sparkling blue eyes?"

Anna laughs, but continues to look at Weiss doubtfully.

After a pause, Weiss seems to reconsider. "I'll take Jim with me." He indicates his ever stone-faced partner with a quick nod of his head in the man's direction.

Anna smiles, but shakes her head. "No. But thank you, really, for being willing to go above and beyond your call of duty. It's, um… very noble of you."

"Hey, no problem. All in a day's work." Weiss raises his hand to his forehead and gives a mock salute.

Anna giggles and opens her door. She waves goodbye as she steps out onto the sidewalk in front of her building.

"Let me know if you change your mind!" Weiss calls after her.

She nods. "You got it!" she says, then turns and pushes open the door of her apartment building.

When Anna steps into her apartment, she drops her bag by her desk as usual and then heads into the kitchen. A quick glance into the fridge confirms what she already knew - that there's nothing to eat at usual since she still hadn't done any grocery shopping. With a sigh, she opens a cupboard and pulls out a granola bar.

As she chews on her makeshift dinner, Anna pulls out her cell phone again and stares at it, as if the very act of looking at it will make it ring. Unsurprisingly, the phone remains silent.

For a split second, Anna considers calling Ben herself, but she immediately dismisses the idea. He should be the one to call me, she decides. After all, he's the one who needs to apologize.

Anna glances at the clock on the wall. It's just after 7pm. Resolutely, Anna puts the phone down on the counter and leaves the kitchen, determined to put Ben out of her mind and spend the rest of the evening chipping away at the mountain of homework she's been putting off.

She sits down at her desk and immediately gets to work, typing furiously on her computer as she forces herself to put all thoughts of Ben out of her mind. The work proves to be quite an effective distraction because the next time she checks the clock nearly two hours have passed. Anna yawns and rubs her eyes. Despite it not even being only 9 o'clock yet, she feels incredibly tired. She attributes this to her lack of sleep last night and resolves to work for one more hour before going to bed.

Anna turns back to the screen in front of her and continues working. As the minutes pass, Anna finds herself yawning frequently as her eyelids become heavier and heavier, and she has to shake herself awake a couple of times. Still, she presses on, determined to reach her goal before giving in to the exhaustion and going to bed. Or at least, that's the plan.

Several hours later, Anna finds herself slowly waking up with no idea what time it is. She's hunched over, head resting on the desk in front of the keyboard. She groans and slowly straightens up, her stiff neck protesting after being in such an awkward position for so long. With bleary eyes she checks the clock and has to rub her eyes before she can make out the numbers clearly. The clock reads 1:37am. She doesn't know exactly what time she fell asleep, but she knows it must have been a bit before 9:30 because that's the time she remembers seeing when she checked the clock for the last time before falling asleep.

The computer is still on in front of her. The assignment she'd been writing is open on the screen and the small black cursor blinks endlessly where she'd left off. Realizing that she's too tired to get any more work done tonight, she saves her work and shuts off the computer. Anna drowsily pushes her chair back from the desk and stumbles toward the kitchen to get a drink before going to bed.

Afterwards, as she walks back across the apartment toward her bedroom, something on the floor catches her eye. A small slip of paper, about the size of a business card, is lying by the front door, as if someone slid it underneath. She's almost certain it wasn't there when she came home. Curious, Anna walks over and picks it up.

Three words are written on the card in pen. It reads simply, "I'm sorry. - Ben". Anna shakes her head at the brief note, unsure whether to be happy that Ben apologized, or upset that the message was so short and he didn't do it in person.

Wondering if he left anything else, Anna unlocks her door and pulls it open. In the hallway is a beautiful bouquet of flowers, sitting in a glass vase. She smiles softly at the gift. Ben must have noticed her lack of a real vase last time he bought her flowers when she'd improvised and placed them in a water pitcher instead.

Anna picks them up and takes them into the apartment, closing the door behind her. She places them on the coffee table in the main room, exactly where she'd put the last ones.

She stares at the flowers for several minutes, unsure how she feels. The flowers certainly add to the brief apology written on the note, and the vase was a thoughtful gift, but she still wishes he'd apologized in person. Who apologizes by sliding notes under doors, anyway? Anna thinks with annoyance. Was it really that hard to just knock on the door and talk to me? Or at least call?

With her frustration mounting again, Anna realizes that she doesn't feel tired anymore. After staring at the flowers and fiddling with the note for a few more minutes, she comes to a decision.

Shoving the note in her pocket, she marches back to the door and puts on her shoes. He may think he can get away with sliding an apology under the door, but we are having this conversation in person whether he wants to or not, she thinks. And I am not going to have this hanging over my head for another night. We're going to work this out now. Face to face.

With that thought in mind, Anna strides out the door.

. . .

A loud, banging startles Ben from his sleep.

It's still dark out, the only light in the room coming from the soft glow of the alarm clock next to his bed. Ben rolls over and glances at the clock in confusion. It reads 2:02am. For a minute, he wonders if he imagined the sound, since no sane person would come knocking on his door at this hour.

He's just rolling over to go back to sleep when the banging starts again, longer this time.

"Bloody hell," Ben groans. He wearily pushes the covers back and climbs out of bed. He finds a pair of jeans and pulls them on over his boxers before trudging before the door. He flicks on a light and grimaces at the sudden brightness. Squinting, he reaches for the door and yanks it open, cutting off the third round of persistent banging.

"What th-" Ben cuts himself off when he sees who it is. "Anna."

She stands there, fist still hovering in the air from being cut off mid-knock.

Taken back slightly by the sudden yanking open of the door, Anna hesitates for a moment. Recovering quickly, she lowers her hand and says, "You know, you could have knocked."

His mind still muddled from sleep, Ben frowns in confusion. "What?"

"Or at least called, or something!" Anna charges on. "Not that I don't appreciate the flowers or the vase, but would it have killed you to give them to me and apologize in person?"

Ben rubs his eyes, his mind struggling to keep up with this sudden turn of events. Moments ago he'd been sleeping soundly, now he is getting berated by his girlfriend in the middle of the night and he doesn't know why.

"Look, Anna," he says slowly, doing his best to sound reasonable, "I really don't know what you're talking about. I di-"

"Really?" Anna cuts him off before he can finish. "So it wasn't you that dropped those things outside my apartment? I suppose it was just another person named Ben who slid this note under my door then."

"No, of course not."

"Well then? Would you care to explain?"

"Explain what?" Ben asks in frustration.

"Explain what?" Anna repeats in disbelief. "I don't know, how about why you left a note under my door with two word long apology on it for me to find instead of knocking on my door so we could talk, just to avoid me."

"What are you talking about?" Ben asks, his annoyance exacerbated by lack of sleep. "I'm not the one who's been doing the 'avoiding'. I came by to apologize and you didn't answer the door. So I called your mobile, heard it ring in your flat so I knew you were home, but you didn't answer, and that's why I left the note. Because you were avoiding me."

Anna shakes her head. "What? When did this happen?"

"I don't know," Ben says, his exasperation evident. "9:30?"

"Oh." Anna shifts uncomfortably on her feet. "I didn't hear it…"

Ben arches his eyebrows and Anna looks down at her feet, suddenly feeling very foolish. "I fell asleep."

There's a momentary silence between them as they stand in the doorway, absorbing this new information. After a pause, Ben breaks the silence, chuckling softly.

"Tell you what, how about we try this conversation again and we both agree to avoid jumping to any conclusions. Deal?"

Anna bites her lip and nods. Seeing the movement, Ben steps back and holds the door open for her. Following his invitation, Anna walks past him into the apartment.

Anna has only been to his place once before and even then only briefly. It's a studio apartment consisting of just one room, not including the bathroom, plus a kitchen attached to the main room, separated only by a counter that acts as a divider between the two areas. It's much smaller than Anna's apartment, although she thinks she might actually prefer a place like this. She lives alone and has far more space than she wants or needs, and she likes the cozy feel of the place.

She stops in the middle of the room. Ben closes the door and follows her, stopping a few feet away. They stand facing each other for a minute, waiting for the other to start.

Finally, Anna says, "So you came to see me?"

Ben nods. "Yeah."

"Sorry I yelled at you and accused you of avoiding me." Sheepishly, Anna tucks a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.

"Yeah well, I guess I kinda had that coming." He scratches his head awkwardly. "Sorry for what I said yesterday. I shouldn't have said you're immature. And I don't think you're a child."

Anna doesn't respond at first as she studies him, trying to decide if he's telling the truth or just saying it to appease her. Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, Anna nods. "Good." It may not have been a very elaborate apology, but she can tell he means it. And if she's being honest with herself, she knows she overreacted a bit the night before.

For the first time, Anna notices the unmade bed, the bags under Ben's (gorgeous) blue eyes, and the fact that he's not wearing a shirt.

"Oh, uh, did I wake you?"

Ben gives her a look of bewildered amusement - the look he always gets when she asks a question with a painfully obvious answer. "It's two in the morning."

"Oh… I'm sorry… But you know I feel like this just proves that you didn't knock hard enough. Clearly I was far more effective."

Ben smirks. "It was pretty hard to miss. I'll probably get a few complaints from my neighbours tomorrow." A thought suddenly occurs to him and he frowns. "How did you get here, anyway?"

"I walked." Anna shrugs nonchalantly. "It's not that far."

Ben's eyebrows shoot up. "You walked? By yourself at 2 in the morning?"

"Well actually, it was only 1:30 when I left."

"Oh, 'cause that's so much better is it?" Ben covers his face with his hand. "I'm a dead man," he mutters.

"Relax, no one has to know." She smiles conspiratorially. "It will be our little secret. Anyway," she continues, "if my dad does find out, it will be me in trouble, not you. You didn't know about it."

"Somehow I feel like your father will still place some of the blame on me…"

Anna thinks for a minute, then shrugs again. "He might. But he won't because he's not going to find out because we are not going to tell him."

"Agreed." Ben pauses and bites his lip, as if considering how to word what he wants to say. "Anna, don't take this the wrong way, but please don't ever do that again." Ben can see Anna already opening her mouth to protest so quickly carries on, cutting off any objections before they have a chance to leave her mouth. "And not because you're the President's daughter and you need a bodyguard or whatever." He can see the rebellious look that has arisen in her eyes but she stays quiet, waiting to hear what he has to say. "Look, London can be a dangerous place at night, especially if you're not in the tourist areas. I wouldn't recommend anyone walk alone at 2—" he sees Anna open her mouth and to object and quickly correct himself "okay, 1:30 in the morning."

Anna considers this for a moment and finally nods her consent. "Okay, fair enough. Next time I need to go somewhere in the middle of the night I'll just call you and get you to pick me up."

Ben arches an eyebrow and gives her his adorable lopsided smirk. "Not quite what I meant, though I guess I don't have much of a choice now, do I?"

Anna grins and wraps her arms loosely around his neck. "Nope."

His hands settle lightly on her waist. "Just don't plan on making a habit of it."

Smiling mischievously, she replies, "We'll see."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I also really appreciate the reviews and comments that you've left! It makes my day when I read them and it motivates me to keep writing, so thank you!
> 
> Comments, reviews, and constructive criticism are always welcome. I appreciate any feedback or ideas you give me!


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